Ladder.



- Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

C. F. SPAID.

LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED 050.19. 1914.

C. F. SPAID.

LADDER. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 19. m4.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. F. SPAID.

LADDER. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 19. 1914.

1 ,162,261 Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Lfifim CHARLES E. SPAID, OF LEI-IEW, WEST VIRGINIA.

LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

Application filed December 19, 1914. Serial No. 878,099.

. To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES F. SPAID, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Le-' may be readily moved fromplace to place, a .matter of lmportance in an orchardwhere the laddermust be moved a considerable distance during the course of a days work.

Theinvention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafterdescribed, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is an end view, the parts being inthe same posi: tion as in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a si de elevation, theladder being extended to its greatest extent. Fig. 4c is a detail insideview, partly in section, of the upper portion of a stationary frame, aportion of a vertically movable frame being shown in its guideway. Fig.5 is a side elevation showing the parts in position to form a supportingplatform. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

In constructing the ladder I employ a frame stationary when the ladderis in use but re'adilymovable from place to place, said frame havingupwardly converging side members 1 connected and braced by cross strips2, andspaced uprights 2 and opposite sides of the ladder frame areconnected by transverse end members 3. This supporting frame is mountedon wheels 4.

Hinged to the lower end portions of the frame are ladder sections 5,said sections being hinged at their lower ends and their side piecesbeing longitudinally slotted adjacent their upper ends as at 6, andnotches 7 communicate with these slots, and the slots, as shown, arepreferably open at their upper ends, to permit an adjustment to behereafter described.

A vertically arranged frame 8 works in a suitable guideway formed by thespace between the uprights 2 and hinged to the frame 8 are laddersections 9 which rest respectively on the sloping ends of the supportingframe, having at their lower ends transverse rods 10 that engage theslots 6.

The ladder sections 9 areduplicates, each being pivotally connected atits inner end to the upper portion of the frame 8 but below the top ofsaid frame have their side members notched as at 11. These notches areadapted to be engaged by locking bails 12, which are pivotally mounted,as at 13in one ofthe cross bars '2. On one side these bails are angledand extended engaging an L- shaped plate 14L which is secured to a bar15 supported by a spring 16 and provided with a foot lever or treadle17, which when depressed moves the bar 15 downwardly, and

by rocking the plate 1 1 rocks the bails 12 and disengages them from thenotches. A cable winding shaft 18 is carried by the members 2 of thesupporting frame and is provided with a ratchet 19, pawl 20 and handle21. Cables 22 wind on said shaft and run over pulleys 23 carried by oneupright 2 on each. side and said cable are detachably connected to thelower portion j of the frame 8, which is raised by winding said cableson the shaft.

A second set of pulleys 2 1 are carried by the upper portion of theframe 8 and suitable cables may run over these pulleys and be connectedto either of the rods 10 when it is desired to raise one of the laddersections 9 as indicated in Fig. 3.

A short ladder section 25 is pivotally connected to the upper part ofthe frame 8 and. this section carries two slidable cross bars connectedtogether adjacent their ends 26 which may be moved downwardly so thatend portions overlap the upper portion of the frame 8, thus locking thesection 25 in upright position, as in Figs. 1 and. 2, or said sectioncan be swung downwardly as in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The plate 14 is preferably of spring material and is not connected tothe side members 2 of the frame. It is pressed toward said members by aturn button 27, and by shifting said button is permitted to spring out,thus releasing the bails 12, and permitting their removal. The rods 10may also be slipped out of place, thereby entirely detaching thesections 9 from the bails and ladder sections 5.

When the parts are swung into the position shown in Fig. 5 with the rods10 in the notches 7 and the outer end of the sections 9 will besupported by the sections 5 which may be swung into an upright position,and by adjusting the frame 8 so that the inner ends of the laddersections 9 will be in the same plane as the supported outer ends a boardmay be laid on the sections 9, converting the ladder into a platform.

It is obvious that the ladder is capable of many adjustments and varioususes.

What I claim is:

1. A ladder having a normally stationary frame with upwardly convergingsides, a vertically movable frame carried thereby, ladder sectionshinged respectively at their lower ends to end portions of thestationary frame, and cooperating ladder sections hinged to thevertically movable frame.

2. A ladder comprising a supporting frame having converging end members,a vertically movable frame carried centrally by the supporting frame,ladder sections hinged to the ends of the supporting frame, laddersections hinged to and working on opposite sides of the vertical frame,means carried by said last mentioned sections for engaging the firstmentioned sections, and means for elevating the vertical frame.

3. A ladder comprising a supporting frame, the end members of said frameconverging upwardly, a vertically movable .frame carried by thesupporting frame mid- Way its ends, ladder sections hinged to thevertical frame, and adapted to fold down on wheeled frame havingconverging end portions, a vertically movable frame carried by thesupporting frame, means for raising and lowering said frame, laddersections hinged thereto and on opposite sides thereof, and adapted to bebrought into alinement in either a horizontal or an inclined plane or toextend at an acute angle to each other A means for locking the saidparts in position, foot operated means for releasing said parts, ahinged extension for the vertical frame, and ladder sections hinged attheir lower ends to the end portions of the supporting, frame,respectively, and adapted to engage and cooperate with the sectionshinged to the vertical frame.

CHARLES F. SPAID.

Witnesses:

HATTIE V. EATON, GEO. W. MORELAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. l

